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We spoke with Scribblers 2019 guest Jacqueline Harvey, author of series favourites Kensy & Max, Alice-Miranda, and Clementine Rose, about her top tips for starting a story. Watch the video above, or read through the tips below, and get writing!  

1. Ask yourself "what if?” Talking about it helps to formulate your ideas.

2. Plan your story. How does it start, who’s in it, what are the big problems, and how does it end?

3. Enter competitions. They’ll help you to focus and give you a goal to work towards.

4. Think out of the box. Spark creativity for your story by taking photos or looking for interesting articles in the newspaper - the possibilities are endless!

5. Get bored. Boredom gives young minds time to daydream and let creativity run free.

Now that you know where to start, put Jacqueline’s ideas into motion. Craft your story around the theme Planet Earth and enter it into The Golden Pen Writing Award - you could win up to $500! Find your age category and more details on how to enter by clicking here.

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